Enjoy lag-free gaming with this Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router. Its Killer prioritization engine works with Killer-enabled computers to minimize peak ping by up to 77 percent, and the 1.8GHz CPU delivers super-fast speeds with wired and wireless connections. This Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router has a custom-built user interface that lets you manage your gaming network performance.

Customer image gallery

Most relevant reviews

Basic Router with No Admin Tools

Posted 1 year ago

TechTux

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 500 Contributor

Overall A very basic router that the average user will be fine with. The router has a quad-band, 4 adjustable antenna's, 4 ethernet ports, USB 3.0, 1 eSata and easy setup. It has a packet prioritization with gimmick name "Killer". I call it a gimmick because with a packet sniffer not all traffic is routed properly. There were many package collision and rebroadcasts. Which brings me to the largest negative is the limited to no administrative tools. I feel without these tools you can not see/know if the functions and features of the router are working properly.
PROS -
Easy Setup
USB 2 and eSATA Connection
Turn off Network Activity Lights
CONS -
Price per features offered
Dashboard Not Real Time, information incorrect in some sections
Unable to Hide SSID
Unable to disable 2.4 GHz Band
Unable to increase or decrease broadcast rate / band / hops
Unable to power boost the signal
Unable to individually modify each antenna (Band) for signal rate/boost
Unable to set Guest Access in DMZ (Outside Intranet/Firewall)
Unable to set time limit for Guest Access, have to turn on/off manually
Unable to see signal strength of wireless devices
Unable to see transfer connection rate of wireless devices
Unable to see connected device details
"Killer" Prioritization app only works 70% (does not even have self-reporting tools, I had to use a 3rd party packet sniffer)
Packet Collision, multi packet rebroadcast
Unable to perform router trace to devices for network troubleshooting
Unable to provide real time monitor/status logs
Unable to provide firewall status
Unable to export router configuration settings incase needing to restore router
Hardware-
The unit itself is aesthetically pleasing slim and can fit in most places. The lights on the unit are bright blue however you are able to turn them off if you wish. The spacing between USB / eSATA and Ethernet Cables make it easy to hook up and manage the cabling. The power cord is not very long so recommend it close to a power source as well as the power adapter being pretty bulky.
- Software -
Unfortunately this is where it fails pretty heavily. The initial setup wizard is easy and nice for the entry level user who wishes to just plug it in and go. However from that point forward it pretty much goes downhill.
** Dashboard provides a layout of Network Traffic, Devices, and WIFI Networks. However only the Network Traffic is real time, Devices do not update to know when one disconnects and the WIFI Networks does not properly display the 5GHz band. You have to refresh the page or go out and back in to see the updated devices.
** WIFI Settings provides ability to rename 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. You are not able to hide your SSID or disable the 2.4 band if not being used. You can select the WIFI Channel width, which for advance users know how beneficial that is. You are not able to increase or decrease broadcast rate / band / hops or boost the signal. You are not able to individually modify each antenna (Band) for signal rate/boost. You do have an option for a guest access however it is not in DMZ, the guest will be within your network behind your firewall and you cannot set a time limit.
** Devices section provides a simple layout of all devices connected to the router. It displays an icon to indicate if it is either a wired or wireless connection. This section does not update in real time and need to either refresh or back out / back in to see the updated devices. It does not provide signal strength of wireless devices. It does not provide the transfer connection rate of wireless devices. You are unable to click on the device to provide details of the connected device. You are able to edit the device name to match what you like.
** Prioritization section allows you do give devices priority using the "killer" app method. Using a packet sniffer I have found this works about 70% of the time. The more devices you have on the network the hard it is for the application to properly prioritize traffic. There are times where it did not function at all and delays are noticeable when streaming.
** Speedtest allows your to check your internet speed with your ISP. So far it appears to not provide any benefits for the router itself. Even through the "Killer" prioritization app says it will use the speed test as a metric to prioritize devices I found it was not the case. I tested by forcing different ISP speeds using a 3rd party device. I tested with speeds 1G , 500MB and 200MB. Using packet monitoring software, prioritization remained the same.
** Advance Settings is where you find some of the normal abilities you can modify for your network. You are able to setup port forwarding, Static IP Reservation, VPN Client, Access the external USB/eSATA storage items, assign specifiv non-routable ip's (strongly recommended) and DDNS/ISP settings
** Router Administration is where it fails miserably, you can change the router name/password, update firmware, download a router log (contains limited information) and turn off router activity lights. For the price of this router I would expect at least the basic admin tools. There is no trace route ability, device monitor/status logs, no firewall status, no audit tools, no logging tools / filter, no router config file export ability (incase you need to restore router settings) and more advance admin tools missing. The ASUS router that is cheaper and only have a tri-band (3 antennas) has more capabilities then this.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

Brand response

Linksys Staff

1 year ago

Hi, TechTux,

Thanks for taking the time to share your product review. We want to look into your feedback about the "Killer" Prioritization App which only working 70% of the time and other concerns that your router exhibited. Please get in touch with us at LinksysCares@linksys.com so we can tap one of our Escalation Engineers to look closely into this matter. Indicate your contact information and the link to this review.

Best regards,

JayLinksys Support

Shaunh20

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This really is a "killer" gaming router!

Posted 1 year ago

Shaunh20

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

I've been looking for a wireless AC low ping gaming router capable of providing better coverage for my large house. I am a heavy gamer who plays games on the PC, PS4 Pro and Xbox One so the demands on a router for low latency are high. I also have a lot of devices, over 20, that run concurrently on my router so I need one that can manage all of those devices and never slow down. My current router prior was an ASUS Wireless N RT-N66U and although I had no issues with it in games whatsoever the coverage for my large, nearly 3000 square foot house was a problematic issue. I wanted to move to something that provided far better wi-fi coverage, could give me great ping times and would play nicely with all of my gaming systems. That led me to the WRT32X by Linksys...
When I received the Linksys WRT32X the first thing that impressed me was the sheer size and weight of it. Compared to my old router, and well just about any router I've ever owned, it was utterly huge. Be aware of the size if you plan to mount this somewhere prominent because it will take up significant space. Wisely Linksys has put mounting options for nails, screws or whatever on the bottom of each of the four feet on the router to make wall mounting easy. The router aesthetically is quite beautiful with mostly blacks and grey tones. It has moderately bright blue lights but in a nice design decision all of those lights can be turned off with a simple selection in the router interface. This option to turn off the lights I think is a theme that Linksys tried to take complaints from previous routers and correct those mistakes for the WRT32X. But before we go on I must say that the way that the WRT32X was packaged reminded me a lot of a high end Apple products. Using an easy open flip up box to display a lot of foam and padding to protect the router, very simple and subtle inserts and just how it was overall packaged presented it as a work of art. Yes, this is an expensive router but when you open the box and start unpacking it you feel like it's a top end product!
Setting up a new router for many techies is a mixture of dread and utter excitement so with a mixture of both of those I began the process. First up was doing multiple speed and latency tests with my current Asus router to get a baseline. In doing so I made a note of coverage areas and where the Asus router was failing. Even with two extenders the Asus struggled to cover the far side of my home, especially on the lower levels. I wavered at 1 to 2 bars of wireless coverage in that area and my hope was the new Linksys would be able to provide a solid 3 bar experience. After doing multiple wireless tests I had a baseline of speed, latency and coverage so I began the process of disconnecting my old router and replacing it with the Linksys.
Upon turning the router using the dedicated switch (nice touch!) on I went back to my wired PC and pointed my browser to 192.168.1.1. The browser immediately brought up an interface from Linksys and it greeted me with a "congratulations on using the Linksys WRT32X, let's begin..." setup message. The router began the setup by checking for a firmware update, which it found and downloaded automatically. Also of note is that every night the router will automatically check for firmware updates, automatically download those and install them on its own as well. Next, the setup guide will ask you what you want your admin interface password to be. After that it will simply ask you to rename your wi-fi network. The Linksys combines the 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks into one and will automatically determine which network your wireless device can utilize best but you can, if you desire, separate the networks as well.
Once into the actual router admin interface I was surprised to see the most elegant interface. All pertinent information is clearly visible and displayed in a logical manner. On first glance you may be a bit concerned that information is lacking but at the bottom of nearly every option is a "more settings" that you can click on to open up more options. This is clearly, without a doubt, the best router interface I have ever seen in my roughly 25 years or so of using routers. It even has an option to change your DNS settings easily to Google or OpenDNS just by clicking on an option! Again, it's just an example of the thought that Linksys has put into making this router both powerful and easy to use for common users as well as power users alike. One complaint I do have is that MAC addresses are not displayed in the router table. So I called Linksys and after a very short amount of time on hold the phone was answered by a woman. When I asked about the MAC address she said that they were aware, that it was not currently an option and that this was a design decision. I told her they should consider adding this as an option and she said she would add it to their suggestions. Another slight issue is that in some areas of the routers interface when you make a change, save and then go to leave to go to another part of the interface it will ask you if you want to "discard or continue with your changes". My last issue is that there is no app at all for iOS for this router. Hopefully an iOS app will be provided sooner rather than later.
Getting back to the positives I particularly liked the fact that on the QOS screen you can simply drag and drop priority level when defining priority levels. Everything is, by default, dumped into normal priority but you can, for example, grab your PS4 Pro from the list of devices and dump it into high priority and have just configured the QOS. I know some folks may want specific numeric indicators but I am fine with defining QOS by high, medium and low levels and I believe most folks will be as well. Just about everything in the interface is designed for ease of use and again, I cannot say enough about how much I like it.
After everything was setup in the router, which took about 45 minutes, I began the process of running coverage, speed and latency tests. First of all I am happy to report that this router gave me 3 bar coverage all over the full range of my large, five bedroom, three story house. The areas in which my previous router were 1 to 2 bars were filled with a fast and 3 bar signal by the Linksys WRT32X. The worst area went from 1mbps download to 13mbps download. Next was speed and speed remained about the same as my previous router. On to the last area and that is latency. As gamers know we all need latency to be low. Well here the WRT32X excelled and beat my previous router, consistently giving me about 5 milliseconds better latency in every test that I did. This was the case in both wi-fi and wired. In general my previous router did not cause me any issues and gaming ran well at about 25ms ping time but this router cut it down to below 20ms, usually coming in around 17-18ms ping time. So in that respect the WRT32X overdelivers on its promise to cut your ping times.
On to actually testing out the games. I play PC games, PS4 Pro games and Xbox One S game and all are wired connections. I played some games on all of them and had zero issues with any lag in anything that I played. I will say though that on my connection from my ISP, which is 100mbps down and 10mbps up, that I had never really had any issues with my old router in regards to lag. So with this router providing better ping times I certainly wasn't expecting any problems and after playing none cropped up. If you game wirelessly I imagine you will see better results as well considering my ping times decreased there but I did not try gaming wirelessly. Games that I tested included racing, fighting and sports games, all of which require low latency. Also of note and one that may be of particular concern to Xbox gamers is that this router consistently provided me with an OPEN Nat without requiring any special port forwarding or setup of any kind. If you're tearing your hair out with your gaming Xbox One NAT being strict or moderate with your current router you will not have this issue with the WRT32X.
So bottom line, is this a good router for the money or not? If you are a gamer, unequivocally I can say yes that it is. All in all I'm glad that this is my router going forward and I will likely be using this Linksys for the next few years as my main router to run my 20-25 networking devices. Great job and major kudos to Linksys on designing such a "killer" router. I would highly recommend.

I would recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

ryanmcv

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 250 Contributor

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A Gamer's New Best Friend

Posted 1 year ago

ryanmcv

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 250 Contributor

In a crowded market of accessories that aiming to enhance the PC gaming experience, the new WRT32X router claims to cut down latency and prioritize gaming bandwidth. It's equipped with the Killer Prioritization Engine. If your rig has a Killer ethernet or wireless card, the WRT32X will prioritize gaming traffic from that device above all other network activity. In my experience, it lives up to its claims.
PROS:
- Easy set-up and sleek packaging. Like all other modern Linksys routers, setup is as easy as connecting your modem and then navigating to 192.168.1.1 in a browser. The router is simplistically packaged, giving the feel of a premium device.
- The router configuration interface at 192.168.1.1 is by far the nicest I have ever used. It's incredibly simple yet very powerful. See the attached screenshot. The main dashboard shows current network traffic, speed test results, and connected devices. Advanced settings like prioritization, port forwarding, etc. are easy to access and don't feel overwhelming. If nothing else, Linksys has hit a home run with the design of this new configuration page.
- Seamless prioritization of Killer-enabled devices. The router automatically detects my Alienware PC with a Killer E2500 ethernet card. In the router's prioritization page, my PC is shown at the top with the option to manually prioritze non-Killer devices.
- Gaming latency on Killer devices is noticeably reduced when there is high activity on your network. If your gaming PC is the only device utilizing the network, you're not going to see much difference. In fact, while playing Team Fortress 2 with no other network traffic, I saw a decrease in ping of only 3 to 5 ms versus my previous Linksys router. I tested it again while two smart TVs were streaming 4K video. On my old Linksys router, gaming latency immediately increased to more than 100 ms. On the WRT32X, latency remained steady at about 30 ms while my TVs continued to stream 4K video without interruption.
- Solid Wi-Fi performance. The router is certified for Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS), meaning the 5 GHz band can operate on channels normally reserved for radar. In high-density housing environments like my apartment complex, this will grealy reduce interference from neighboring networks. A local file transfer between two laptops connected via 5 GHz showed transfer speeds up to 500 mbps at 30 feet: more than acceptable for my purposes.
CONS:
- The LEDs on the front of the device might be useful to some, but to me they are rather annoying and flash excessively. Luckily they can be disabled via the configuration page.
- The router includes one USB port and one eSATA/USB combo port to connect external storage devices. However, I could not get the router to report the correct storage capacities of my 3 TB hard drives. When accessing them through the SMB protocol on both Windows and Mac, the reported storage capacity was only 100 MB. I tried reformatting to both NTFS and FAT32 file systems, but the issue persisted. If network storage is important to you, this should be a consideration until Linksys issues a firmware update.
- This is not a "smart" router, so you cannot use the Linksys app to setup or control the router remotely.
OVERALL:
For the first time in a while, I can easily recommend a product targeted towards gaming enhancement. If you have any Killer-enabled devices, this is a no-brainer: the router will greatly improve your gaming experience on high-traffic networks. Even if you aren't a gamer or don't have any Killer devices, this is still a solid router with a beautiful configuration interface, solid wireless performance, and DFS. Hopefully Linksys will improve external storage performance. Recommended!

I would recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

Jack

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Great gaming router

Posted 1 year ago

Jack

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

I have been using Linksys routers for a long time now, and I always got a very good experience in terms of reliability and user friendliness. The last one I got was the WRT3200ACM, which has been working pretty well for almost a year. Now, when I needed a new wireless router, I got my hands on the newest one, the Linksys WRT32X, which is in essence a twin of the WRT3200ACM. They share the same DNA in terms of form factor and specifications, sporting the same mean-looking front panel and the array of connectivity options in the rear. The difference is in the color scheme - W32X comes in a black which looks really cool. The most significant difference is in the firmware. Whereas the WRT3200ACM is a very general purpose router with Open Source firmware support, the W32X is targeted towards gamers. The star is the "Killer Optimization Engine", which prioritizes traffic related to games, and does so automatically if your system has a Killer Networking product. Unfortunately I don't have anything that can take advantage of this, but the bright side is you can also change priority of the connected systems very easily from the GUI.
SPECS
The spec of this router is top notch - upto 3.2 Gbps theoretical bandwidth. However, from a typical setup (a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz SSIDs), the "11n" network has a link speed on 144 Mbps, while the "11ac" network shows a link speed of 866 Mbps. The router is DFS certified, so you can get 160 MHz channel bandwidth in the 5 GHz spectrum, but that needs some changes in the settings. The router supports MIMO and beam forming as well.
SETUP and USER INTERFACE
The setup is really easy as the router comes with preassigned SSIDs encrypted with WPA2 passwords (they are provided in the back of the router and also in a booklet inside the box). However, as any network savvy person will tell you, it's always better to create your own SSID(s) and password, which is very easy to do once you access the browser-based user interface. The UI is designed to appeal to gamers, with upload/download speeds shown graphically in a speedometer-like dials in real time. The homepage is well designed with a shortcut to perform speed tests, displays number of devices connected and prioritization options. You can delve deeper into the settings as well and tweak your network if you're up for it. Overall, I really the liked the fast and intuitive display.
PERFORMANCE
I have been running the router for a few weeks now and it has been running smoothly without any mishaps. Both wired and wireless connections were reliable - I have almost 10 devices connected to it (laptop, desktop, smart TV, gaming console, printer and of course smartphones and tablets) and am getting good coverage with expected speed all the time.
Overall, this is a very capable router with good coverage and is able to handle quite a number of devices at the same time. The USB and eSATA ports are good addition for local storage sharing. If you want to get the latest router with all the bells and whistles, WRT32X is a good choice.

I would recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

CrysisComplex

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 50 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A monster of a gaming router!

Posted 1 year ago

CrysisComplex

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 50 Contributor

I'm just going to get right into the main feature first. Linksys is known for making great routers but none is quite like this one. This one was made with gamers in mind utilizing the "Killer Prioritization Engine" if you have it on a PC that supports it. Luckily my main gaming PC is able to handled this router's Killer functionality. with VERY minimum effort. The WRT32X puts priority in gaming ping for faster response in online games. I was able to see my ping lower dramatically from 55 ms all the way down to the advertised 17-19 ms.
This was quite shocking while playing CS:GO, GTAV, Overwatch, Left 4 Dead 2 and Gears of War 4 but the best example have to be Playerunknown Battlegrounds. I had no lag compared to my previous router which was an EA7500 and this one blows that away. With Netflix 4k playing in the background in a different room, the router still kept the priority first to gaming. If the main reason you are buying the WRT32X for the Killer feature then it passes that highlighted features with flying colors.
Everything else is as you expect front the router. Flawless. I'm not one to talk about design but yes this router looks sleek. For gaming its perfect as the lights blue LED doesn't shine in your face when playing at night if out in the open. Its easy to set up and include most of the basics. Quick start guide is clear and everything is simple to understand. I was able to set this router up in less then 5 mins and was online fast. Its not much here to get confused about.
The unit has 4 Gigabit LAN ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 eSATA / USB port, and a WPS button. All of which are pretty standard by today on routers itself. I used and connected all the ports and they all worked fine without any issues at all. The devices I have connected to this thing is a long list. I have the Gaming PC, iPad, PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch, Projector, 4K HDR TV, Apple TV, and LG 4K Bluray are all connected at once....but it always give priority for gaming (You can deactivate these features if you choose) when playing online. Every device I used maintained the level of speed it was designed to handle.
The performance on the is phenomenal even without using the Prioritization Engine. Streamed 4K Netflix and Apple Music content without a problem on my TV while playing games online. Nothing can slow this router down when you want need it and that's always a plus. The range is fantastic I can literary go outside the house connected. It covered my whole house easily, the backyard, the neighbors house.
Funny enough I know this router is geared towards gaming but Linksys Smart Wi-Fi app is NOT SUPPORTED. Its an useful app that you can keep track of everything going on with your router with the app. You can see what's connected and charge passwords among other things but none of that work with the WRT32X AC3200. Sure its minor but it would have been nice to just use an app to change settings and features on the fly while gaming.
In the end is the router worth getting? If you are a serious gamer: YES. I love using this router and one made for the hobby I enjoy on my own time. If you are looking one of the best gaming routers I ever seen the WRT32X AC3200 will meet all your expectations and more. Heck even without the main feature its nice on its own. It's just simple to use and easy to use while doing what its advertised to do. I would recommend to anyone looking for a better online experience. .

I would recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

stevefromtheburbs

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 250 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Not just for gamers, in fact you should know this!

Posted 1 year ago

stevefromtheburbs

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 250 Contributor

With more than one gamer in the house, this caught my eye right away. I've seen and tried routers for 4K TV's and also routers for other specific purposes, but not one for gamers.
It comes nicely boxed, and well packaged to prevent damage. Each of the antennas is nested inside of a hard foam area to make sure it doesn't fall out of place. Same with the router, it sits in a specific spot. And the foam sheet keeps the power supply and network cable tucked away underneath.
So, once I got it out and the four antennas hooked up, the network cable plugged in, and the power supply plugged in (the power supply barrel connect fits VERY tight so it doesn't come unplugged accidentally - thank you!!!!), I looked at the booklet to find out the login information to join the WIFI portion, then the admin login.
I'm from a mindset that if I have to read anything about a product, then it isn't worth it or fun, so I get frustrated as I'm a tech type anyway. This needed no reading of the manual (which you have to look at online) and was online in a matter of just about 2 minutes, maybe 3 minutes max.
The best part of the router, in my mind, is the dashboard after you login to the admin console. It is so amazing. It is showing you the amount of network traffic, up and down, devices connected, speed test, and all the rules you'd expect to see like port forwarding and other rules. Most will probably not use this stuff though, but it is there. You can also name your 2.4 and 5.0GHz WIFI bands with different names, or you can use a single name - I find the two names is helpful, so if I have a device like my Iphone with an Apple Watch and am supposed to connect at 2.4, I can without fail.
The real difference with this router is the ability to prioritize your internet resource to gaming computers. The Killer Engine technology tells the router it is one of those things, so the router can prioritize bandwidth to that computer that is doing gaming - very cool.
But, as a parent of gamers, there are times that Dad needs to prioritize bandwidth to my work computer when I work at home, my Planet series on Netflix, and other Mom and Dad stuff, so the kids gaming computers won't always be given priority - you can pick devices to move up the priority list, and not others. It isn't parent revenge, but it is the first time I've been able to make sure Mom and Dad have what we need for work and for movies, and not allowing the gamers to always have priority. The ability to change between modes isn't hard to do and can be done within seconds vs. minutes or hours.
Range is good, I was able to get signal all through my townhouse, and even to my Ring doorbell, which has been a challenge in the past.
Speed is much faster than my existing router setup, and PING was fast at 16ms. I have 50/50 and was getting 57.75 down and 61.35 up. I wasn't getting that on my previous router.
One other feature I really like was the ability to put in a file that allows the VPN to run at the router level, instead of all devices having to run the VPN separately. That is important, because I know everyone doesn't remember to turn the VPN on like they should.
My only wish is that this had incorporated smart features, such as inbound IP blocking. I just purchased a separate device to be a hardware firewall to prevent unwanted attacks on my IoT devices. And to offer a lifetime of updates would be helpful too, to prevent more out of packet expense.
This router is amazing and has found a new place and purpose in my house. If you try it, and it doesn't do all that you need, you can return it due to the very generous return policy at Best Buy, which is why I get so many things at Best Buy - I once returned over 6 laptops looking for a really good one with a good trackpad - not one person at Best Buy ever complained or said I could not return something.
Anyway, props all around, this is a great device!

I would recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

3Tcubed

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 500 Contributor

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Underperforms

Posted 1 year ago

3Tcubed

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 500 Contributor

First impression, the WRT32x is packaged beautifully and safely in the box that contained it. Ssecond I was very happy to see that the antennas are removable, this would allow an antenna with a higher DB gain to be used; I've always thought this was a good idea. Installation is straight forward, they include a wizard for those not familiar with router setup that holds your hand through the initial set up, it worked well, You are given an option to set up the 2,4 and 5Ghz networks with the same or different names, they claim that if one name is used the best possible band will be utilized (I could not prove this, but seem like a good concept, other recent Linksys routers have also had this option). So after unpackaging and using the wizards's set up, I dug deeper into the 'manual' setup options and was pleased to see all of the more complex options covers. But in the list of connected devices there was no MAC address, I though I'd missed something, this is generally exposed, and many with lots of devices use this unique Id to manage those devices. I called Linksys support, and got a human promptly, they were very knowledgable about the product, but confirmed that the MAC address of connected devices is not displayed; I suggested it should be, they said they would pass it on to the development dept, Oh well, I see that as something missing, in my getting more connected home I have 60+ devices on my primary network (40+ are iOT things). One thing I did like about the user interface was it was very easy to change the prioritization of devices, rather than setting a value you put things in to the high, medium or low priority group, and you can quickly visualize what things are where. Well on to some testing...
To begin with I have 3 dual band or tri-band (2.4 & 5Ghz) AC3200-AC6600 Routers Installed for testing or in use in my home office, I rarely use them all at once but I have them configured so I could do so (DHCP addresses in different range, networks on different channels (where I can)) so when I got the new LinkSys WRT32X I though tit would be interesting to how it fared against the much more expensive 3 node Linksys Velop Router (AC 6600 600+2000+2000+2000), the Linksys Max Steam AE9300 (AC4000 750+1625+1625) and NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 R8000 (AC3200 (600+1300+1300). As I see it the Velop is by far the most expensive the others being all about the same price.
So for a hardwired baseline I ran speedtest.net against each directly connected to my Cable Modem (Arris CM 8200 with Cox Ultimate (300mb/30mb)) here is what I found
....................................Direct Connect..... 5G WiFi....... 5G WiFi
......................................Up/Down........... i7 PC 10'...... iPhone 8+ 10'
Nighthawk X6 _______226.1/30.7____ 116.5/29.4___ 112.2/30.5
MaxStream ________ 230.3/30.9_____122.2/30.5 ___130.0/30.6
WRT32X___________229/9/30.9____ 114.4/27.8 ___122.9/30.0
Velop*3____________233.3/31.0____ 118.8/30.0___ 125.9/30.5
All the results were pretty close together, with no clear winners or losers, I ran multiple tests and took averages.. But the real test is at a distance more than 10', here the results are vastly different. As I found that the WifI tests on my iPhone were similar and it was easy to move around (duh) and to change networks I used it to test from about 50' away, I only tested AC5G as it's clearly the fastest choice.
.............................5G WiFi
..........................iPhone 8+ 50'
Nighthawk X6 ___33.5/30.0
MaxStream _____24.5/6.3
WRT32X ________9.8/18.6
Velop*3 ________44.0/30.9

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.

Brand response

Linksys Staff

1 year ago

Hi, 3Tcubed,

We value your detailed feedback with the router's performance. With regard to the speed through this device, there are steps that could help optimize it. Please email us at LinksysCares@linksys.com with your phone number and the link to this post so that we can have our Escalation Engineers assist you.

Regards,

IrishLinksys Support

Crasher

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Finally a true killer enabled wifi router

Posted 1 year ago

Crasher

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

The Linksys wrt 32x gaming router offers a wider variety of gaming options that should please any gamer out there. Lets talk about some of the key features and if this is going to be a right set up for you. First off this is probably hands down one of the nicest looking routers i own and have probably ever seen. It comes with everything your going to need to set up your WiFi and instructions to help you access your built in UI and ssid. You have the ability to name each line individually or combine them together. Set up is easy and takes a matter of minutes, aside from looks this seems to be a typical dual band router with few exceptions. You have your 2.5 ghz low band and your 5Ghz high stream. You have 4 Ethernet gig ports on the back side which is kinda of a nice little upgrade, 3.0 usb port for upgraded speed, and a eSAT/USB 2.0 port. In reality this is a standard router but where it stands out is in two areas, its killer mode hardware and built in dual core processor unit and firmware. Lets talk about killer software for a second. In the gaming world only very high end pcs and laptops offered this feature as part of there built ins. At the time it first came out it was supposed to have offered the ability to have smother gaming with less lag and lower ping with a higher FPS (Frame rate Per Second). I bought in to the hype and purchased a high end alien ware laptop with killer built in. Like many people out there i was pretty disappointed and felt a little cheated seeing as how i didn't not see enough improvement to justify the price tag. However all that has changed with the introduction of the Linksys wrt 32x. Now my laptop actually has something to work with that will allow a more open UI between my hardware and network. Now with the Linksys interface opened up, the killer software allows you to prioritize all devices connected in a three tier set up. You have high, normal and low priority tiers. What makes this nice is it doesn't matter if your gaming through wifi or a dedicated Ethernet cable, all gaming devices can be set to high priority. Now what this means is your laptop or pc will get maximum bandwidth above all other devices and will be deemed a necessity. In return this helps to reduce bandwidth that is taken away from people streaming videos, music, etc. The end result is a lower ping and higher speed. I wanted to put this to the test so i used a laptop with killer built in and a PC without killer. I performed both test wired and non wired with a 500mbps of internet speed. First test was done on my laptop with killer built in and wifi connected. I tested with killer enabled prioritization turned off at a distance of 30ft. on the 5Ghz line, since thats all i run anyways. First speed test produced download speeds of 400mps with upload of 5mbps and a ping of 110ms. This is kinda standard for my area, next i enabled killer and set my laptop to high priority and ran the test again. This time i got 489mbps download with a upload of 7mbps with a ping rate of 10ms. Not bad for considering how far away i was and still connected to the 5Ghz line. Now running a ethernet line to the same laptop produced similar results however with killer mode turned on and set to high priortiy my connection improved slightly. Download speed jumped to 499mbps, upload speed 7mbps and ping droped to almost nothing at about 5ms. Am i impressed? Yes, finally im getting some results from this laptop. Now i ran these test on my PC with out killer enable built ins wired in through the Ethernet ports. My results really weren't that much of a difference. The results are as follows: killer mode off download 400mbps upload 5mbps ping 89ms. Killer enable turned on through the Linksys wifi: download 420mbps, upload at 5mbps and ping at about 80ms. At this point i realized that without a killer enable pc or gaming device this is just another router. Here are my final thoughts, in reality this router is only gonna benefit you if your a true gamer looking to get an edge with the hardware built in to support this wifi set up. If your running a killer motherboard and wanna get the most out of it then definitely buy this router. Other then that your really not going to notice the upgraded performance unless your set up for it. Also if your gaming on a console such as a ps4 or xbox don't waste your money, considering that ps4 consoles cant even hook up to the 5Ghz line anyways. All in all this is a great buy for any true gamer out there. It looks nice, performs great, and gives you access to its built UI and Firmware updates.

Best answer: If your other devices are working fine with the Linksys WRT32X, then it seems like the challenge is isolated with your extender, R25b. It'd be best to contact your extender's manufacturer as there might be some settings that need to be configured for it to work flawlessly with the router.